Bitcoin.com, the controversial source for everything Bitcoin(Cash)-related and brain-child of crypto-entrepreneur Roger Ver, is reportedly under a government-sponsored cyber attack. The Tokyo-based entrepreneur stated on Feb. 4 that Google Suite alerted him about a potential intrusion, citing government-backed attackers as the culprits.
Government-Backed Attackers Target Roger Ver’s Bitcoin.com
In a surprising twist of events that has left a large part of the crypto community in shock, Bitcoin.com became a victim of a cyber attack. And while major websites such as Bitcoin.com aren’t new to hacks, what makes this newsworthy is the fact that the attack was government-sponsored.
According to Roger Ver, who goes by the username – MemoryDealers on Reddit, one of the most vocal supporters of Bitcoin Cash and founder of Bitcoin.com, anonymous government-backed hackers were attempting to compromise one of the Bitcoin.com’s email accounts.
Ver received a Google Suite alert about a potential intrusion into one of his emails on Feb. 28. “Because Bitcoin.com is building tools to bring economic freedom to the world, we are likely under government-backed attacks,” he wrote alongside the screenshot of the alert on Reddit.
Google Suite accounts began receiving alerts about government-sponsored cyber attacks back in 2017 after Google updated its security protocols. The service is able to identify malware-loaded emails, phishing attempts, or brute force attacks carried out from government-linked cyber espionage associations, known as Advanced Persistent Threats.
Unknown Government Cyber Spies Attempt to Access Bitcoin.com’s Data
According to Google, if such an attack is successful, it could lead attackers to all of Bitcoin.com’s data at once. This may include emails, docs, spreadsheets, sites, presentations, and cloud-enabled file backups. Eric Grosse, the vice president of security engineering at Google, said that seeing an alert about a government-sponsored attack doesn’t mean that hackers have managed to gain access to the website or any of the users’ accounts.
However, it means that the website and the associated accounts are a target and that they must take steps to improve their security.
Despite the fact that Google doesn’t reveal their criteria for what constitutes a “government-backed attack,” many crypto enthusiasts have seconded Ver about the possibilities of a big government such as China being behind the attack. A Reddit user pointed out that Google has a very weak track record when it comes to “calling out the U.S. government,” which could mean that there was another government involved.
It still remains unclear who attacked Bitcoin.com – it could take several weeks, or even months before the public sees a new development in the case. What remains certain is the fact that crypto businesses and websites have become the go-to target for cybercriminals in the past few years.
